ReadOasis Step 5 Creative Commons photo by Jiuguang-Wang Scientists have been experimenting with four-legged robots for years. They want robots to carry heavy loads over difficult areas of land and do other difficult jobs. But one problem is power. Now that has changed. Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of... Read more
$80,000 for One Song
A2-Beginner+BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2BProtectedStep 2StoriesTech 0
ReadOasis Step 2 The room is dark. You are alone. You are drinking a coke and downloading some songs from the Internet. Then you hear a crash. Your heart stops as you hear a man shout. "This is the police!" You catch your breath and say, "What?" Then another... Read more
The Future on Your Wrist (Step 2)
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 2StoriesTech 0
By Tek SmithReadOasis Step 2 The world was waiting with excitement. Three years earlier, Steve Jobs had died. Jobs was the head of Apple Computer. Under his leadership, Apple released many original products. These products included the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes, and the iPad. These Apple products caused great... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 They wanted to make a new kind of machine. It was something that had never been made before. They needed a new kind of engine. But no one would build it for them, so they built it themselves. They needed new information, so they did thousands... Read more
ReadOasis Step 2 VOA Learning English reports that China has paid for the longest railway in the world. It's 13,000 kilometers long! The longest railway in the world is now open. In December, a train carrying products from China arrived in Spain’s capital, Madrid. The railway is one of the most recent transportation projects that China has finan... Please login to read the rest of the story, or join ReadOasis today! Read more
The Best Things — Steve Jobs
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 1StoriesTechTV 0
The following is a summary of a famous quote from Steve Jobs. Usually, people remember the part “Great artists steal.” But this is really about how to make “the best things.” It also shows how Steve Jobs blended the arts and sciences. Simple Version ReadOasis Step 1 It comes... Read more
By O. Henry ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. These pennies were saved one and two at a time. To save this money, she had to fight with the vegetable man, the meat man,... Read more
Playing Global Business on a Level Field
B2-Intermediate+BizBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 3 A Review of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century By Thomas L. Friedman. We are entering a new era where the world is one massive marketplace. Old powers had the advantage, but the playing field is leveling now. New powers are... Read more
ReadOasis Step 1 The United Way is a group that helps people. The United Way might call you. And they might ask you for a donation of money. Your donation might help build a school in the Philippines. It might help train people for work in the United States.... Read more
Bill Gates: A Model for Business?
A3-Beginner++BizBiz Step 2BBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!ProtectedStep 2Stories 1
By Tek Smith ReadOasis Step 2 As a young man, Bill Gates had the idea to make a company. In 1975, he left Harvard University, and he started Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. By 2007, Microsoft employed 78,000 people in 105 countries. Today about 90% of the world’s... Read more
By Benjamin Franklin ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Benjamin Franklin By David Martin "The Way to Wealth" is an essay written by Benjamin Franklin in 1758. In it, Franklin focuses on two main ideas. The first is hard work, which he often calls “industry.” For example, an industrious person... Read more
Beyond the Freezing Point (Ayako Miura)
ArtsB1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedStep 3Stories 0
ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) It was much later that I finally learned what a dark age it was. It’s after you know the light that you recognize darkness. You cannot know darkness when you’re in the middle of it. Ayako Miura (1922-1999) Up to the end of World... Read more
I See You — Avatar
A3-Beginner++ArtsBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesListen!Movies Step 2BProtectedStep 2Stories 1
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Your name is Jake. You are a soldier. Since you lost the feeling in your legs, life has been awkward. But you got used to it. And when your brother died, your heart stopped feeling some, too. "Get used to it," you think. But... Read more
Master of Words: Bob Dylan
A3-Beginner++ArtsBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsCoursesMusic Step 2AProtectedStep 2StoriesStory
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) It was January 1961. In the cold north of Minnesota, a young man of 19 years packed his bags. He was going to New York City. By car, the trip would take over 18 hours. And he was travelling by his thumb. In other... Read more
By Mark Twain ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) A friend of mine in the East asked me to visit old Simon Wheeler. He wanted me to ask about his friend, Leonard W. Smiley. I did as my friend asked, and I found Simon Wheeler sleeping by the stove in... Read more
Habit Power (Step 3)
A3-Beginner++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedSciencesStep 3StoriesTop Picks 1
ReadOasis Step 3 Will walked into the large office area and looked around. He was carrying a cup of coffee, and he spilled some on his hand. “Ouch!” he said. “That’s hot!” He looked around, but all the other workers were busy. They didn't even notice him. He walked over to... Read more
The Rules of Elite Success
B1-IntermediateBNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedSciencesStep 2StoriesTop Picks 1
ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) The computer sat in a funny little room at the Lakeside School in Seattle. It was a gift from the Mother’s Club. Costing $3,000, it was expensive at the time. But the mothers wanted the students to have a computer so they could have... Read more
By Hans Christian Andersen ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) There was once a rich, happy family, who were all gathered together. The master, the servants, and friends of the family were full of joy. On this day a son was born, and mother and child were doing well. The... Read more
Gregor Mendel: Father of Genetics
A3-Beginner++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsProtectedSciencesStep 2Stories 0
By Max L. Knowles ReadOasis Step 2 A great tree comes from a small seed, and from small beginnings come great things. Gregor wanted to solve a problem. It was a big and important problem. But he was not a big and important man. And he was not studying... Read more
The Prince, Love, and the Clock
A3-Beginner++BNC LevelsCEFR LevelsListen!ProtectedStep 3StoriesStory 0
By O. Henry ReadOasis Step 3 (Part 1) Prince Michael sat on his favorite bench in the park. The September night was nice and cool. It made him feel more alive. The benches were not filled. Most people are quick to stay home when the autumn weather becomes cool.... Read more